


Broken Home

by wxrmstachio



Category: South Park
Genre: Anorexia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2018-07-22 02:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7416160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wxrmstachio/pseuds/wxrmstachio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyle left South Park for two years. When he returns, he finds the town has changed in unexpected ways. Specifically, Eric Cartman. Just what the hell happened?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home

Kyle had lost touch with almost everyone from elementary school when he left South Park. His parents wanted him to attend "some gay little Jew school", as Cartman had put it. The fatass seemed so happy about Kyle leaving, he actually started doing a happy dance when Kyle told him. It made the redhead hate him more than he ever thought possible, but at the same time, he thought he would miss being infuriated by the asshole. Until Cartman also ruined that by asking when he would be leaving, and talking about how great it would be with him finally out of the picture.

Stan, on the other hand, was sad that Kyle was leaving, although he tried not to show it. He promised Kyle that he would text as often as possible, but that didn't work out. The school Kyle was supposed to be going to was way too strict about phones, so there weren't many chances for communicating, even though they still tried.

When Kyle got to the school, he automatically tried to make friends and make the best of a bad situation. No one seemed to want him, and so he was an outcast. Stan told him not to worry, they were probably all assholes anyway. Eventually, Kyle stopped trying to get along with people. Nebraska sucked, and there wasn't anything he could do to fix it.

The summer after he had graduated middle school, he had lots of time to think due to the fact that he hardly went outside anymore. He found himself making his way down to the kitchen where his parents were filing taxes, or doing whatever adults do. "I hate it here," he said flatly. "I wanna go back to South Park."

His dad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose like Stan used to. Kyle briefly wondered if he still did, and it made Kyle miss the small town even more. "I know, Kyle," he said without lifting his head. "I want to move back too."

"Then? Why don't we?"

"Well," his mom stepped in, choosing her words carefully. "We were planning on talking to you and Ike about it."

"No need. Ike hates it here too," Kyle grumbled.

"How do you know?" his mom asked.

"Because! Don't you pay any attention to us? He's hardly come out of his room since we got here, and he tried to run away twice."

His parents sat in stunned silence from Kyle's outburst until a familiar Canadian head peeked into the kitchen. "Oh. Hey, Ike," his dad's voice pierced the silence.

"I wanna go back home," Ike mumbled before turning and walking away.

Kyle cast a final glance to his parents and left as well. The next thing he knew, he was putting his clothes into designated boxes. When everything seemed to be packed up, he helped move the boxes into the truck they'd rented. Just before he stepped up into the vehicle, he sent Stan a quick text.

_We're coming back to South Park._

It was the first text he'd sent in a couple of days. Suddenly Kyle felt guilty for leaving Stan on read for so long. Especially when his friend always made sure to reply. Speaking of, it didn't take long to get a text back.

_Really?? Your srs?_

_You're*,_ Kyle couldn't help it, he had to correct the improper grammar. _And yeah, we're driving down there right now actually._

_What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?_

_I just wanted to be sure we were actually moving. Why? You don't have a new best friend, do you?_

_No, ofc not!! Noones as cool as you tbh_

_I know.. How is everything then? Still the same?_

It took Stan longer to reply this time. Kyle watched as the bubble that showed Stan was typing kept disappearing and reappearing. Until finally, _Yes and no...._ _  
_

Kyle furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. _What the hell does that mean?_

_You'll have to wait til you get here_

_Whatever,_ Kyle rolled his eyes and returned his phone to his pocket, ignoring the notification buzz he received. As they were driving, Kyle began to grow anxious of what he was going to find when he got back to Colorado. Worrying ideas filled his head, but he forced himself to push them aside as he leaned back in his seat and tried to relax.

* * *

 

"Kyle?" his mom was shaking him awake. "We're here."

"Hmm, what?" he felt completely disoriented before remembering where he was. "Woah. I gotta go see Stan. I'll unpack later, okay?"

He was off before his mom could even protest. Instead, she simply shook her head after him, starting to bring boxes inside their new house. When Kyle made it to Stan's, hardly out of breath, he didn't hesitate to knock.

"Oh!" A surprised Randy Marsh opened the door. "Kyle, you're back."

"Yep. Is Stan here?" Kyle immediately wrote the man off. His eyes scanned the house behind him, searching for Stan.

"Of course. Stan! Come out of your room, _Kyle's_ here," Randy called up the stairs.

Stan came rushing down, fixing his hat as he quickly slid out the door. He didn't even bother saying goodbye to his dad before starting to walk down the sidewalk, with Kyle running to catch up.

"Dude, what was that about?" Kyle asked when they finally slowed down.

"I just had to get out of there," Stan answered. "I haven't been out in a while and I think it was getting to me."

"Me too, man. Nebraska really sucked."

"I'm just glad you're back," Stan stopped, sitting on the curb. "Things have been really bad without you."

"What? No way," Kyle didn't think him moving would make any difference.

Stan sighed, letting his head hang. "Dude, you've got some catching up to do."

"So? Get me caught up then."

Stan shook his head, "I don't even know where to start."

"You. Start with you," Kyle suggested, thinking that would be easiest for him.

"Not much to tell. Ever since Kenny.." Stan trailed off, lifting his head to stare at something across the street. "I stopped going out as much, and nobody really seemed to notice. I guess they didn't care, but even though I stayed in my room, Shelly never forgot to tell me how worthless I am."

"You're not worthless," Kyle reassured. "What happened to Kenny?"

"He - Kyle, he killed himself," Stan sniffled.

"Do you know why?"

His family was too poor, and I guess he thought he was a burden and he decided to..you know."

"Why haven't I heard about it then?"

"It only happened two weeks ago. His parents are still trying to get everything together. I-I thought they at least called your parents and told _them_."

Kyle froze as he began piecing things together. He realized the real reason his parents had agreed to move back to South Park. Then he was running, ignoring Stan's calls to come back.


	2. Truth & Eric Cartman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone missed it, I combined what would've been the second chapter with the first. So if you haven't read the updated version, I suggest you go back before reading this chapter.

"Mom! Dad!" Kyle knew he sounded frantic, but that's just because he was.

"Kyle? What happened, bubbe?" his mom tried to hug him and offer comfort as soon as he found her, but Kyle simply pushed her away.

"Why didn't you tell me about Kenny?"

"I - oh, Kyle," she took a step forward, Kyle took one back.

"That's the real reason we moved back, right? When were you planning to tell me?"

"We just needed to find the right way to break it to you."

"There is no right way! I should've known you didn't actually care about me, or Ike."

"Of course we do," she had the nerve to act offended.

"No! You wouldn't have even considered moving back if you didn't have to show up at Kenny's funeral."

"We're not that shallow, Kyle. Your dad needed us to come back for better job offers," she said it as if that could justify their reasoning.

"So not even Kenny would've made you guys move back, because you're just that selfish?" Kyle couldn't be bothered to argue with her anymore, so he settled with letting out a frustrated groan and muttering, "God, I hate you guys."

"What was that?" her eyes narrowed.

Kyle was sure she heard him, so she was just trying to intimidate him, get him to back down and apologize. Instead, even Kyle surprised himself by shouting, "I hate you, okay? I wish you weren't my mom!"

"Kyle!" she shouted in shock. "Go to your room!"

"Whatever," he would've gone anyway.

Kyle couldn't sleep that night. He couldn't stop thinking about Kenny and the floor was way too uncomfortable, even in the sleeping bag. He had to do something, so he stood out of the blankets and started to sneak downstairs to get a glass of water. He saw his parents, but instead of turning around, he pressed himself against the wall and listened in on their conversation.

"What are we gonna do about him, Gerald?" his mom sounded worried.

"Who?" his dad asked, clueless as ever.

"Kyle!"

"Why do we have to do anything?"

"Because he's been snappy ever since we moved to Nebraska, but now that we're back in South Park, he seems to be even worse."

"Sheila, he's lost a friend. We need to give him time to adjust to the loss.

"He told me he hated me," his mom sniffed, "that he wished I weren't his mother."

"I didn't mean it," Kyle stepped out from where he'd been hiding.

"You heard all that?" his dad asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry, mom," Kyle apologized, ignoring him.

"Oh, it's okay, bubbe. Just go back to bed, we can talk about it later."

Kyle nodded, returning to his room, without the water he had originally set out for.

* * *

It seemed like Kyle just wouldn't be getting any sleep that night as he heard his window creak open. He was more annoyed with this new inconvenience than scared of an actual break-in.

"If you're a ghost or some shit, you can just fuck right off. I'm not in the mood."

Well then, I guess I'll be going."

Kyle immediately recognized that voice. Although the silhouette was different than he remembered, it was definitely him.

"Cartman? Have you lost weight?" Kyle asked as he fully sat up.

"I-yeah. I've lost about twenty pounds, but I haven't been on a scale in a while."

Kyle turned on his light, shocked when the lamp's warm glow revealed Eric's full appearance. The bags under his eyes looked heavier than he was, like he never slept at all anymore. The jacket he wore hung off him, which was a significant change from him taking up every available inch the cloth allowed.

"Stan was right, things have changed," Kyle muttered.

"Oh, so you've talked to Stan?"

"Well, yeah," Kyle said as if it should be obvious.

Cartman nodded, seeming to fall into deep thought.

"What happened to you?" Kyle asked in concern.

A sick smile spread across his face, but Eric's eyes stayed empty. "You left."

"So?" Kyle refused to believe he was the reason Cartman was like this now.

He let himself slump against the wall and let out a sigh. "I didn't think I'd actually miss your Jew ass."

Kyle was more than shocked, the Cartman he knew would never admit something like that. Unless it was part of a plan to manipulate him, but somehow he doubted that.

"I guess I missed you too, fat ass," Kyle used the term for nostalgia purposes, since it could no longer accurately describe the surprisingly small frame that almost seemed to crumple at his words.

"Please don't," Eric muttered.

"What? I'm sorry," Kyle didn't know what he did wrong.

"My mom finally got married."

"That's good, right?" Kyle was even more confused about this sudden change in topic.

Eric chuckled darkly. "Yeah, I thought so too. I was so excited."

"Then what happened?" Kyle asked anxiously, but Cartman ignored him.

"I thought that I'd finally have a dad like everyone else. I wouldn't have a reason to cry myself to sleep anymore," he finally met Kyle's piercing green eyes. "I was wrong."

With that, Cartman pushed himself away from the wall and started clamoring through the window.

"Wait," Kyle had too many questions. "What does that mean? You can't just come in here, give me _that_ , and then just _leave_."

Cartman turned to face Kyle once he was all the way outside. "Can't I?" he grinned his sick little grin. "Sorry, Kahl, I know you _really_ missed me, but I have more important places to be right now, so I gotta go.

Kyle watched as he leaped from the window to the nearby tree and made his way down to the ground. Needless to say, Kyle didn't get any sleep that night.


	3. Eric Cartman

Eric Cartman really didn't have anywhere else to be, but he didn't feel like bothering Kyle for longer than he had to. He also didn't feel like having the redhead ask him questions. Kyle really had missed a lot since he'd left South Park, but it was understandable. There was always something going on in South Park. Cartman just couldn't understand how Kyle's family could up and leave. He knew his would never even consider it. South Park was their home, and as crappy as it was to live there (to live, period), it was where they'd all grown up.

That was another thing, ever since Cartman's mother had remarried, Cartman hadn't been the happiest. He was used to playing the victim role and being manipulative, but he wasn't used to actually _being_ the victim, the one who was manipulated. His stepdad wasn't exactly the best to Eric. In fact, as soon as he'd moved in ( _almost immediately_ , Eric thought bitterly), he'd started working at "making Eric a better person". His mother had gone along with it, since she'd noticed Eric's abusive behavior. It was ironic, the way she refused to recognize Jared's abusive behavior.

Cartman could see tears forming in his peripheral vision. He didn't bother attempting to force them away. It didn't matter; Jared wasn't there to shout at him for being a pussy. As he continued to walk, and think, he could feel tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He hated being weak, and he was glad no one could see him this way.

"Cartman!" Eric heard a voice shout behind him, and at the same time heard feet hitting the pavement as the person ran to catch up with him.

He turned, "What do you want?"

"I want you to explain, to fill me in," Kyle answered, out of breath.

"Where do I even start?" Cartman muttered so that Kyle couldn't hear him.

"What? Dude, are you crying?"

"No," Eric answered, turning away.

"It's okay if you are," Kyle explained, "and you don't have to tell me why, if you are."

"It's just...everything got so fucked up when you left, and you weren't here to deal with it. There was only me, Stan, and..." he stopped. He couldn't bring himself to say the name.

"I know what happened to Kenny," Kyle said the name for him. "Stan told me."

"Right, you talked to Stan. I forgot," Cartman said bitterly.

"What's wrong with talking to Stan?"

"Nothing. Except for the fact that he was practically the reason that Kenny hung himself."

Kyle said nothing, but the shocked look must've told Eric enough.

"Or has he been feeding you lies about how Kenny couldn't handle living in a poor family? How he wanted them to have a better life, even if that meant living it without him?" Cartman spat. "That might've been true, but I know Kenny never would've done that if he weren't provoked. Stan said the same exact thing to Kenny."

"W-what do you mean?" Kyle whispered.

"We all made fun of Kenny for being poor, but we never went as far as Stan. He...put the idea in Kenny's head."

"But Stan wouldn't," Kyle was thinking of all the reasons that Kenny's death couldn't have been Stan's fault. "You're just trying to manipulate me. You're the one who's lying. I thought you'd changed, but -"

"I have changed, Kahl!" Cartman shouted. "I had no other choice. You can ask anyone, and they'll tell you exactly the same thing I have."

Kyle stared into Eric's reddened eyes. They were still as blue as ever. They were eyes you could get lost in if you weren't careful enough. They used to be so guarded, but now they seemed so open, as if Kyle were looking into Eric's soul. Somehow, he knew Eric wasn't lying. Finally, he spoke, "What do you mean, you had no other choice but to change?"

"I told you, my mom remarried. His name's Jared."

 "What does that have to do with anything?" Kyle asked, not understanding.

"He wanted me to change, and my mom agreed. She thought that was what was best."

"What do you mean?"

Eric knew he wasn't explaining well enough, but he also knew that this was exactly what he had wanted to avoid when he left Kyle's house. He hadn't expected Kyle to follow him outside.

"Fine, don't answer. But at least tell me where we're going."

Eric looked as though he was finally seeing his surroundings. He hadn't realized that they'd still been walking, or how far they'd gone, but at least he still knew where they were. "I can't tell you that," he answered.

"What? Why not?" Kyle looked thoroughly confused, and Eric knew he'd been gone too long to recognize where they were.

"Because I don't know the answer! God, you act like I should know everything, like you're entitled to anything your pretty little mind thinks of!" Cartman shouted at Kyle, aware that lights were turning on inside the houses around him, but he didn't care.

Kyle was shocked, mostly because Eric had used the word pretty to describe him. Eric used to explode at him all the time before he had moved away, so Kyle was used to that. But...pretty little mind? Cartman really had changed.


End file.
